The Treaty
by Alumi
Summary: In order to save his country, Seirin, Kuroko disguised himself as a princess and entered an arranged marriage with the crown prince of Teikou, Akashi. / AU / ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: In order to save his country, Seirin, Kuroko disguised himself as a princess and entered an arranged marriage with the crown prince of Teiko, Akashi. **

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Teikou was a large country that was growing in power and had been conquering one country after another. It was no surprise that it would soon set its sights on Seirin, a small and independent nation, as well. In order to appease Teikou's king from invading, the king of Seirin decided to form a peace treaty. The strongest and most stable treaties usually had arranged marriages and so the kings of Teikou and Seirin gave their consent for their children to marry.

And it was there, that lied a problem: Teikou and Seirin only had princes, not princesses.

In a moment of panic, the king of Seirin said that he had a daughter. It was a complete lie, but since Seirin was a newly formed, isolated country, there was not much known information about it's royal family in other neighboring countries and so Teikou's king agreed to the terms of the treaty...

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The second prince of Seirin, now a 'princess' stared at the large, tall mirror in front of him in his bedroom. He fidgeted as he played with the strands of the long ribbons on the sky blue gown he wore. It was laced and corseted, which he found rather uncomfortable to wear.

Mayuzumi, the first prince of Seirin and Kuroko's half-brother, stood ten feet away, his eyes quickly checking over Kuroko's appearance.

Kuroko spoke nervously, "Are you sure that I shouldn't wear a long wig?"

"Of course. A pixie cut is the new trend for women nowadays. Besides, I'm reluctant to admit this, but you actually look like a beautiful woman." Mayuzumi's mouth formed a mischievous smile at the last words.

Kuroko wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, considering that he was male. In any other occasion, he would be irritated if someone mistaken him for a woman, but right now he would gladly be called one. His naturally feminine features and slim limbs were a great help in forming his disguise as a princess instead of a prince.

Upon seeing Kuroko's normally blank face was distraught, Mayuzumi said, "Relax your nerves, Tetsuya. They won't find out." It was false reassurance because there was no doubt that they would discover his true gender. The question was when.

Kuroko sighed. "You don't have to lie. Our father gave me a choice. I agreed to do this. I wasn't forced to, remember?"

"I know," Mayuzumi replied. Then he gave him a sad expression. "But I also know if there is any other better alternative, you wouldn't have to do this."

Kuroko finally smiled, then, though a tinge of resignment overshadowed it. He knew that he wasn't the only one worried about the marriage. Mayuzumi was concerned about Kuroko, too. "After I'm gone and if somehow Seirin is still safe, I want you to be the best king to this country as you can be."

Mayuzumi nodded, determination glinted in his eyes. "I promise I will."

Mayuzumi was the crown prince and was expected to be the next king. He had public duties to tend to. On the other hand, Kuroko often stayed inside the castle and never went outside its gates. The only place he could go outside of indoors was the royal garden, so even the citizens didn't know about him. They only heard of rumors about the king having a second child after he remarried, though they didn't know whether he was a son or daughter. The king kept his existence secret since Kuroko was born with health problems and the king thought that it would be bad for the royal family's reputation. Fortunately for him, Kuroko grew up to be healthy, but he was still the prince without a presence to the rest of Seirin.

It was no doubt that after he married and Teikou's prince found out that he was actually a male, Kuroko would be severely punished. He might be thrown into the dungeon, executed, or subjected to whatever horrors that was planned for him. The prince might even urge his father for a war and Teikou would still invade Seirin. Either way, Seirin would be brutally conquered. Lives would be lost and homes destroyed. At least with the treaty, there was some sort of hope as little as it may be.

Mayuzumi asked, "Are you going to say good-bye to Kagami and Ogiwara?"

Kagami and Ogiwara were both the castle's servants. They were close friends with Kuroko since childhood.

Kuroko shook his head. "I already did, though they didn't take it very well."

"That's understandable."

Kagami and Ogiwara weren't allowed to attend the wedding. Once Kuroko leaves and marries, he won't be returning to Seirin unless there are special circumstances. In the worst case, he might not be able to come back here and see them again.

A knock on the double doors to Kuroko's room was heard. Mayuzumi answered, "Come in."

A servant opened one of the doors and informed them, "Prince Chihiro and Prince Tet – Excuse me, I mean, Princess Tetsuya. The king has ordered that the princess to depart for Teikou within half of an hour."

Mayuzumi turned to Kuroko and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Well, I guess this is goodbye until the wedding ceremony. I'll see you then … and good luck. You'll need it."

Kuroko nodded. "Thank you." Then he added, "And good-bye, Chihiro."

After saying his good-byes to Mayuzumi, he left his room and followed the servant to the carriage that would take him to a distant country.

To think the first time he would finally leave the castle would be the time he had to cross-dress as a princess to be married off to some prince he never met before.

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When Kuroko arrived at the main castle in Teiko, he let out a small gasp in amazement. Not only was the castle much wider and taller than his home castle, but it was also more elaborate. He gulped. He felt so small compared to it, like an ant. It was as if he was trespassing a foreign and forbidden domain. It was suffocating to even think he would live here from now on.

He already got off the carriage when he noticed people approaching. There, a man with a red hair was walking toward him. The mysterious person had heterochromatic eyes, one eye was red while the other eye was golden. Following behind him seemed to be a couple of servants, judging by their clothes.

"Let me properly introduce myself," the red-haired man started to say, "I'm Prince Sejuurou Akashi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Tetsuya Kuroko. The king sent me here to escort you to the throne room."

Kuroko felt his breathing stop for a moment. Prince Seijuurou Akashi. Kuroko knew that name. He was the crown prince. And his future husband.

Akashi outstretched a hand toward him and Kuroko accepted and placed his hand on top. He didn't try to protest when Akashi and his servants led him to the insides of the castle.

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**A/N: Overused plot idea and not sure if anybody would like this story, but I wanted to write it. Not sure if I'll continue it or not, but we'll see. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: In order to save his country, Seirin, Kuroko disguised himself as a princess and entered an arranged marriage with the crown prince of Teiko.**

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Akashi led Kuroko to the throne room where the king was at. As he came into eye contact with the king, Kuroko braced himself and hoped for the best.

"You're Seirin's princess, correct?"

Kuroko curtsied with his dress, a courteous gesture he needed to get used to soon. "Yes, your grace."

The king smiled warmly in reply. "You will be this country's princess, too, after you marry my son. It's a great occasion for you to enter our family. The wedding will take place very soon, but not today. The preparations for it are almost finished. Until then, make yourself at home."

"Thank you, I will." Kuroko mentally frowned at the warm welcome. It was difficult to believe this was the same power-hungry king who had been leading Teiko to conquer country after country. It was best not to judge him on his first impression. The king might only be acting kind out of duty. He probably didn't care at all that Kuroko was going to be his 'daughter-in-law' soon.

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Once Kuroko's first meeting with the king was over, Akashi led him to the royal garden.

They sat at one of the tables that let them overlook the fountains, flowers, small ponds, and other various plants that inhabited the area. Kuroko looked at the view with awe. Even the garden here was much better and larger than Seirin's. He suspected that the only thing Seirin could best Teikou in was in a contest of what country was smaller, poorer, and more insignificant. The thought did not make Kuroko happy in the least. Even though he would be living at Teikou from now on, he took pride in his home country. He was their prince, after all.

Servants had brought them tea and pastries to go along with it. Not wanting to seem rude in front of Akashi by not eating, Kuroko took a bite out of a fruit tart. He chewed tentatively. It was delicious, but it was a waste since he wasn't in the mood for an appetite.

Akashi stared at him with piercing eyes, and it dawned on Kuroko that maybe this person was more intimidating than he first appeared to be. Suddenly, Akashi asked, "Were you coerced into this marriage? I can tell that you don't wish to be here."

Kuroko was surprised that Akashi would ask that. He shook his head. "No, I willingly agreed to it."

"That makes this easier then. I trust that since you are here, you wouldn't elope with a past lover before the wedding, is that right?" Akashi raised his tea cup to his mouth, as if he was only talking about the weather.

Kuroko was immediately flustered at the question. It wasn't rare for grooms or brides to run away before an arranged marriage was official. Akashi didn't fully trust him yet. It was fair; they were still strangers, and not to mention Kuroko was already lying to him with his disguise. "I assure you that I would never do that."

Besides the fact that he never had a lover before, Seirin's well-being was at stake here. The thought of the people of Seirin screaming as enemy soldiers pillaged villages and cities made his stomach lurch. How could Kuroko abandon his country for his own sake?

Kuroko didn't think about marriage much before the treaty. He always thought if he was going to marry, it will be to a noble woman that his father picked for him. Never in his wildest dreams that he thought that he would marry a man.

Akashi beamed at him. "That is a wise answer, Princess Tetsuya. I don't want my family named to be sullied because the other party decided to go against what they had promised."

Kuroko tried to smile, though he had a feeling that he was failing. Kuroko had the nagging suspicion that Akashi would have had a more negative reaction if Kuroko answered differently.

A voice interrupted them, "Your highness!"

Kuroko turned to face the owner of the voice and saw a blond-haired man with golden eyes vastly approaching them. He was dressed in clothes that looked rather too expensive to be just considered as another servant in the castle.

Akashi replied, "What is it?"

The blond man answered, "Your advisor wants to talk with you."

"I see." Akashi faced Kuroko. "My apologies. I have an errand to attend to." He gestured to the stranger. "In the time being, he will be giving you a tour around the castle."

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After Akashi left, the man introduced himself to Kuroko. "Hello there! You're the princess his highness is going to marry soon, right? I'm Ryouta Kise of the Kise family. I'm the only son of one the nobles in Teikou and is a close friend of your fiance."

Kuroko decided to introduce himself, too. "I'm - "

Kise exclaimed cheerily, "Yes, I already know. You're Princess Tetsuya Kuroko of Seirin."

"Ah...yes." Kuroko didn't really appreciate that he was interrupted in mid-sentence. He supposed he had to deal with it.

Just like what Akashi said, Kise showed him around. Kuroko didn't know what to think of Kise. He was so... bright, friendly, and cheery, so unlike Akashi. It was hard to believe they're close friends.

The interior of the castle was very nice; however, Kuroko found it hard to focus on the tour as his mind referred back to the wedding that was coming up. He should really start making a will, since he was convinced that he was going to be executed soon.

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The day finally came. The wedding between Kuroko and Akashi was today.

Kuroko let the servants applied his hair with various decoration and ornaments while he dreaded the wedding ceremony. He was dressed in a white wedding dress with a silken, transparent overskirt and laced gloves. After they were finished with styling his hair, the servants helped him put on jewelry and add a veil on his head to complete the outfit.

One of the servants admired her handiwork. She exclaimed, "You look marvelous! The prince will be pleased when he sees you."

That would quickly change when the prince finds out his true gender during the wedding night, Kuroko thought bitterly. Her comment was genuine, but Kuroko only looked at the mirror in worry. He was definitely not looking forward to what Akashi was going to do to him as a consequence of his deception.

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Kuroko entered the cathedral with nervousness pumping in his blood and veins. Once he saw Akashi standing next to the priest, his heart seemed to beat a hundred times a second. Akashi remained unfazed by his appearance, yet Kuroko felt stiff as a board and his legs shakily carried him across the room. Luckily, the wedding dress was doing a great job of covering that since he saw some of the guests look at him in awe. Even so, he felt as if he was going to faint any second now.

Once he was at the altar, and after they exchanged the vows, they turned to address the audience. Akashi was smiling happily. Kuroko had a feeling that Akashi was faking it for the sake of the public. Nonetheless, Kuroko also forced himself to plaster on a bright smile.

And just like that, Tetsuya Kuroko was officially married, and yet all he could think was how awful the wedding night was going to be.

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**A/N: ****Thank you for reading! And thank you very much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I didn't expect so much positive feedback for the first chapter!**

**Yes, I'm continuing this story. I was actually planning to upload this chapter many weeks ago, but I can't access the files where I put my written chapters for this story in, so I had to rewrite my planned updates from scratch, and so this chapter is pretty disappointing. Sorry for the slow update! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

**Summary: In order to save his country, Seirin, Kuroko disguised himself as a princess and entered an arranged marriage with the crown prince of Teiko.**

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After the wedding was over, there was an after-party.

Kuroko learned that it was a Teikou tradition to have one after any wedding among the upper classes. It was a celebration where all the guests gathered and danced in a large ball-room in the castle. Of course, most of the attention was focused on the two sitting by the long, heightened table placed at the middle of the room, who were Akashi and Kuroko. They were sitting next to each other on chairs with carved, comfortable armrests and tall, regal-looking back-sides. People were laughing as they socialized with one another. They drank wine, ate food from the various dishes that were put at several rounds tables covered with white tablecloths that were scattered around the area.

Some of the guests had went up to chat with Kuroko and Akashi.

Kuroko put on a grateful look as he told them, "Thank you for the wedding gifts." He and Akashi had gotten a plentiful of valuable gifts from the guests. Never had he seen so many gifts in his entire life.

Kuroko didn't know most of these guests. They came from many different countries that were previously independent before Teikou conquered them. Their clothes looked different from traditional noble wear in Teikou. Kuroko learned earlier that Teikou let them practice their own culture, styles, and beliefs as long as they heeded to Teikou's rules. Kuroko would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised at the information. Despite the brutal conquering Teikou had been doing, it seemed to have rather friendly foreign relations with other countries.

Then he heard Akashi speak, "Good evening, Mother."

Kuroko eyes quickly flickered to look at Akashi, and then he noticed the women near them. She was middle-aged and dressed elegantly, a headpiece shaped like a tiara was set on her hair. She was Teikou's queen. Kuroko knew it just by looking at her.

"It's been so long since I last saw you, Seijuurou."

"I know. It's good to see that you seem to feel better now."

Kuroko had learned the day before that the queen had been bedridden for days because of an illness. It wasn't a serious one, but others had insisted that she stayed in bed just in case. Kuroko focused his attention on her and greeted her, "It's a pleasure to meet you, your grace."

"Ah, you don't need to be so formal with me, dear. Do call me mother, just like Seijuurou. You are married to my son, after all."

"If that's what you want, then I will." The queen seemed like a kind woman.

The queen talked about trivial topics with Kuroko and Akashi, most likely for Kuroko's sake since he didn't know the queen that well.

Then she said to Akashi, "I'm expecting a grandchild from you soon, Seijuurou. You will need an heir if you want to continue our name."

Kuroko tensed in his seat at the switch in topic. He clutched his hand on his dress tightly. As far as he knew, Akashi didn't have any heirs yet, and Kuroko was expected to give him one. However, in reality, that was never going to happen. Akashi didn't know that. No one around here did.

"Yes," Akashi agreed, "but I don't think we should rush things just yet." He gestured toward Kuroko. "My wife paled when you mentioned heirs."

"Oh," his mother seemed to notice Kuroko's reaction. "I apologize. We don't mean to make you uncomfortable, Tetsuya, but you are his wife now, and you will be the mother of his children in the years to come."

Kuroko felt sick, like he was going to puke. This was a subject that he really wanted to avoid in any conversation. But he needed to answer. "I know...Mother." He didn't really know what else to say.

Fortunately, the queen then said that she had to greet the other guests. Never had Kuroko felt so relieved at a person's absence.

Turning to give his main attention to Kuroko, Akashi placed a hand on his chin while his elbow leaned on the table. "You looked as if you were in torture," he commented. "Did my mother's presence bother you, or did the thought of having my heirs frighten you that much?"

"No, neither is correct. I'm only nervous." That was an understatement. He was absolutely terrified. He was doing all he could not to look like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Hm, if you say so. I'll take you on your word."

Akashi had said that, but Kuroko didn't fail to notice the suspecting glint in his eyes. Akashi seemed to be even more suspicious of him then he already was, which really didn't help Kuroko's case. He wanted to get this over with already. The pressure from the impending night was getting on his nerves, and he felt like he would break from it any moment now.

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After the party was over, Kuroko was separated from Akashi and was led by a maid to a fancy bedroom. He didn't remember ever seeing this bedroom before. In the day before the wedding, he was told to sleep in a guest room, but it was definitely not as elaborate as the room he was standing in right now. The maid held up a silk, white robe in her hands. She presented it to Kuroko. "Princess," she said, "I was told to tell you to wear this. Please change into it. The prince will be arriving shortly."

Then that meant that the bedroom belonged to Akashi. Figures. It was an unofficial tradition for two people to consummate after getting married, especially if it was an arranged one that was for the sake of a treaty. He took the robe and looked at the maid in silence. He couldn't change in front of her. That wasn't a good idea.

The maid bowed her head to him. "I will be leaving now." She raised her head and smiled, "May you and the prince have a good night."

More like a horrible night, Kuroko wanted to say back. He tried his best to ignore the implications she meant by that statement. Nonetheless, he nodded to be polite. She soon left the room, and Kuroko was left by himself. Now all alone, he changed out of the dress he was wearing and quickly put on the robe. He glanced at a nearby mirror to check his appearance. The robe was slightly too large for him. It sat loosely on his shoulders, and the sleeves felt hollow. If Kuroko moved around too much, the robe was in danger of slipping off his shoulders. He needed to fix that. Before he could, however, the double doors to the bedroom had opened and at the corner of his eye, he saw Akashi appear at the doorway.

Akashi had also changed out of his clothing and into a robe just like Kuroko.

Kuroko's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. He knew where this was heading for. He was going to be royally screwed. Literally.

They looked eye to eye for a bit longer when Akashi stepped inside and closed the doors behind him, locking them.

Kuroko forgot pleasantries. He stayed silent, for all he could think about was what excuse he could think of to get out of this. He needed to stall as long as possible, but what was a good excuse? The marriage had to be consummated for the treaty to work, yet if they tried to, Akashi would discover Kuroko's secret.

Akashi slowly walked toward him. He stood in front of him, his arms raising, and he held Akashi pressed his lips against Kuroko's, and Kuroko wondered how Akashi would react if he found out that he had kissed a man. Would he be angry? Disgusted?

Kuroko closed his eyes. He felt oddly calm now. Maybe all the nervousness he had felt before had evaporated into thin air and was replaced with absolute resignation.

Locking lips with another man. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. There was a chance he could get used to this.

Then he remembered that he was supposed to stall for time and flipped his eyes wide open. In a frenzy action, he pulled away immediately from Akashi. Taken aback, Akashi frowned. "Wha - "

Kuroko stepped away abruptly. He pleaded desperately, "Please, I can't - "

In his stupor, Kuroko had forgotten about his robe. He forgot to tie it properly. Because of they way he moved away so hastily, the robe slipped off one of his shoulders and fell mid-elbow. A little over half of his naked chest was in full view.

Realizing what transpired, Kuroko quickly slipped the robe back onto his shoulder. He looked down, his face heating up.

It was too late. There was a difference in male and female chest anatomy, and it was quite obvious that Kuroko had a chest that most likely belonged to a male's and not of a flat-chested female's.

Reluctantly, he raised his head to gauge Akashi's expression. He saw shock spread across Akashi's face immediately. His eyes visibly widened and his mouth opened slightly.

There was a long silence that followed.

Then Akashi deadpanned at him with an unreadable tone in his voice, "You're a man."

Akashi found out. That answer confirmed it. He knew now.

Kuroko wanted to crawl and hide in a deep, dark hole somewhere far, far away. He truly feared what would happen to him next.

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**A/N: I finally finished this chapter... Some of you were disappointed at the wedding scene and I was too, so I decided to write about an after-party. By the way, a guest reviewer said she wanted this to be an Mpreg. Uh, I honestly don't know how to answer that. It depends on what kind of ending I want for this story.**

**Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter.**


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